Update for Monday, January 30th, 2012

"Sit down and put down everything that comes into your head and then you're a writer. But an author is one who can judge his own stuff's worth, without pity, and destroy most of it." -- Collette

In this post, we have an update, in which I give Chapter Seven the bum's rush out of my new book; my new favorite steampunk joke; and a link to something cool I saw on the news this morning.

So, the week went fairly well, though I seem to be suffering from what I can only call Whack-a-Mole management:  beat one problem into submission and another pops up either too close for comfort or directly in the way.

I spent some of Monday doing the last update to the Turning Springs blog, and finished working with MGC, specifically Chapter Seven.  All done and finished.  Whack!

Pop! Thought about it all day Tuesday and realized the direction it was taking MGC was completely wrong.  So, say hello to my lil' friend, and away it went.  2.5 hours down the drain, but a minor victory; I now know which way MGC won't be heading.  Whack!

Pop! Wednesday, I set MGC aside long enough to do the 1st Revision on OSV.  That's good news and all, but there is this sobering point:  it's been so long since I seriously revised something (about two years since the Turning Springs revisions) that I've completely forgotten the process I set up to do that.  I know what it is, but I'm writing it down this time.  As I do it.  Whack!

I think I need bigger hammers or smaller moles. 

Moving on...to my new favorite steampunk joke:  Steampunk is what happens when Goths discover brown.  (from someone in a Goth society in southern California). 

And the cool link to a CBS story about a newly repaired automaton that can beautifully write poems in two different languages.  Find it here. 


Back to the grindstone.  Check this space Sunday.  Or maybe...Monday.

Update for Monday, January 23, 2012

Well, it's been two months.  What's new?  Glad I asked.

I got very little done in the last two months of 2011, with Christmas and New Year's and the preparation for those days and relatives over and, well, you name it and it got done.  Except for the writing. 

One thing that did get done is a review of my accomplishments for 2011.  Were there any?  Mmm, yeah, a few.  Enough to be satisfied?  Nnnnnope.  So I went ahead and set some goals, reachable goals when both of my time clock jobs, an active family life, and snow shoveling (really?  after two months with barely a hint of snow, it starts now?) are considered. 

How'm I doing?  Great.  (Okay, not so good on the update post on Thursdays, but still...) I'm about 3 hours ahead now (okay, 2 after the missed post on Thursday), but I think I'll need that cushion toward the end of the quarter. 

Details?  The rough of the short project, abbreviated to OSV, is done.  It's currently sitting until this Wednesday when I start the first revision.  Looking forward to that.  I like revisions.  Hoist the black flag and start cutting.

I've blocked the first six scenes of the long project, MGC, on the way to blocking the first half of the work by February 19th.  It's going very well.  Got me a rhythm going.  Always better with rhythm. 

I have another blog called Knews Not News that I'm considering killing off to save some time.  However, one of my few readers would like me to continue.  So far, she's the only one who's responded to a call on the KNN blog itself.  How about you?  Think I should keep it going?  Review a few of the old posts and let me know in the comments here or at KNN or via email.  Before February 15th, please.

I'm also reformatting Turning Springs to take advantage of some improvements that Smashwords has made to their submission software.  Should make for a much nicer presentation of the e-book.  I'm also going to set up a paper copy through print-on-demand site WordClay.  I'm expecting that will be done by the end of the quarter, if not sooner.  I'm almost done with the e-book work. 

So, not strides forward, but grown-up steps.  I'm pleased so far. 

Let me know what you think and thanks for reading!  I'll be back Thursday with another post.